When Should I Start Shopping for a Mortgage?
Most people don’t think about their credit until they consider buying a house. While you don’t need to start shopping for a mortgage a year before you buy a home, you should definitely start checking your credit and monitoring it about a year before.
Ideally, you would start shopping for a mortgage about a month to two weeks before going out shopping for a home. Most Realtors will require that you be preapproved for a mortgage before you go out looking for a home. It will also give you an idea of what size of a home you are looking for and will better assist you in narrowing your choices.
However, with today’s mortgage guidelines changing every few days, it would be a good idea to check with your mortgage broker every week to ensure that you still qualify, especially if your credit is not in the very good range.
